Abby Lee Miller, the tyrannical dance coach from Dance Moms is being sued for assault by former student, and ex-Dance Moms cast member, Paige Hyland.

Paige Hyland Sues Abby Lee Miller For Abuse

Hyland, 13, recently left the Lifetime show, along with her older sister Brooke Hyland and her mother, Kelly Hyland, and has now filed a lawsuit claiming Miller once threw a chair at her and was often physically and verbally abusive towards Paige and her fellow dancers.

The complaint, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims that Miller created an atmosphere of fear by abusing her students and alleges that Miller’s violent behavior was part of a larger scheme to create drama for the reality show. “All of this was a part of a deliberate scheme by the producers to generate interest in the television show and strong ratings when each episode airs,” reads the complaint.

The suit further implicates Lifetime, the network that produces Dance Moms, accusing the network of paying Miller “to be abusive and bullying to her students and provoke arguments with the mothers in front of the children.”

Hyland’s mother, Kelly, famously argued with Miller on the show and blamed Miller for Hyland’s anxiety and panic attacks.

The suit claims that Miller’s abuse has caused Hyland to suffer from “emotional distress, anxiety, frustration, anger, humiliation, post traumatic stress and anguish.”

According to the lawsuit, Hyland witnessed Miller physically hurting a fellow student and feared she too, would be abused by the dance instructor. “Paige Hyland reasonably feared she would be physically injured because she had observed Miller physically batter other people on the show including physically pushing Kelly Hyland’s face, pinching another student until she bled and violently grabbing another student by the arm,” the complaint continues.

Hyland is suing for general and punitive damages as well as court costs and an injunction against Miller.

Abby Lee Miller Responds On Twitter

Lifetime has not commented on the lawsuit, and neither of the parties involved have released official statements. However, Miller did take to Twitter after the news of the lawsuit broke, saying, “There’s two sides to every story.”

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.